Political Science Commons^™

Intertidal Interactions: Stakeholder Relationships Arising From Kitesurfing In Paje, Zanzibar, Jenna Walczak, Iris Levine

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigated the growth of the kitesurfing industry in Paje, Unguja, Zanzibar in relation to its social, economic, and environmental impacts on the community. Prior research has noted that the increase in unregulated kitesurfing tourism in the intertidal zone in Paje has led to conflicts between various stakeholder groups— including seaweed farmers, fishermen, the tourist industry, tourists, and community members. This research aimed to promote a better understanding amongst all actors regarding aspects in which the kitesurfing industry can continue to benefit those involved while ensuring that the rights and livelihoods of the locals are upheld. In order to …

Islamophobia & Europhobia: Subaltern Discourse & Its Limits, Peter O'Brien

Political Science Faculty Research

This essay examines resistance to Islamophobia in the form of Europhobia produced by Islamists in Europe. By "Europhobia" I mean essentializing and distorting depictions of Europe (and the West) as thoroughly decadent, corrupt, and sadistic. In a process that I dub "inverted othering" Islamists emulate the discursive strategies of Islamophobes but invert their negative stereotypes of Muslims to portray (non-Muslim) Europeans as a menacing threat to the umma, or Arabic community. I spotlight three forms of "inverted othering" through systematic comparison of both Islamophobic and Europhobic discourse in Europe (including in cyberspace): Islamists invert the claim that Islam is …

Montana Democratic Presidential Rules Increase Fairness, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Montana Standard, April 10, 2016

Ravalli Republic, April 14, 2015

Helena Independent Record, April 15, 2016

Billings Gazette, April 15, 2016

Missoulian, April 15, 2016

Livingston Enterprise, April 15, 2016 (download additional file below)

From Citizens To Elected Representatives: The Political Trajectory Of Asian American Pacific Islanders By 2040, Christine Chen, James Lai, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Alton Wang

Ethnic Studies

The political power of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) has increased steadily in the United States. By 2040, one in ten Americans will be AAPI, and the number of Asian Americans registered to vote will have doubled (Ong, Ong, and Ong, 2016). This section examines the growing AAPI electorate and projects a trajectory for AAPI civic engagement and political participation from now until 2040. By looking at trends and projections for citizenship, voter registration, voter turnout, elected officials, and political infrastructure, the authors illustrate that AAPI political empowerment will have even a greater influence on the future of American …

From Thomas Jefferson To Donald Trump: The Recurring Muslim Xeno-Archetype In American Politics And Government, Christopher S. Saladin

History: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper connects the Islamophobic discourse of the 2016 presidential primary candidates to that of past American politicians through a historical analysis of their rhetoric and policies towards Muslims. I argue that Western discourse about Islam has long appealed to what I refer to as the Muslim “xeno-archetype,” which is a recurring but unchanging understanding of Islam in the Western mind. This xeno-archetype theory is derived from Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, but is distinct in that it explains why unique misconceptions of Islam existed long before European colonialism. The xeno-archetype consists of specific stereotypes and fears of a given …

2016 Cleary Lecture Promo Flyer

2016 Cleary Lecture: Breaking State Impunity by Guillermo Trejo

Promotional flyer for the 2016 Cleary Lecture at Providence College. The 2016 speaker was Guillermo Trejo of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Department Of History And Political Science Registration Newsletter Spring 2016, Department Of History And Political Science, University Of Southern Maine

Department of History and Political Science Registration Newsletter

In this issue:

• Exhibition co-curated by Libby Bischof, "Picturing Maine
• History Student Named UNUM Scholar
• Exhibit: "Visualizing Uncle Tom’s Cabin"
• Adam Tuchinsky named interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• New faculty: Timothy Ruback
• Maine Model United Nations Conference (MeMUNC)
• Leroy Rowe class visit to Augusta
• “Social Media and Revolutions,” talk by Adeline Koh, Director of the Center for Digital Humani-ties at Stockton College
• HTY/POS Courses Offered Spring 2016
• HTY/POS Internships Offered Spring 2016

Adapting To A Protracted Refugee Crisis: Analyzing The Humanitarian Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis In Jordan, Zoe A. Bowman

Political Science Honors Projects

In the past, refugee status was considered a short-­term consequence of conflict. Today, protracted refugee situations (PRS) are the norm rather than the exception. This shift has forced humanitarian actors to develop new strategies to handle the challenges of working with refugees in the long­-term. This project examines the protracted refugee crisis of Syrian refugees in Jordan. Using interviews conducted in the summer of 2015 in Amman, Jordan, this paper asks (1) what are the implication of the PRS for Syrians in Jordan and (2) how can solutions implemented in past PRS provide answers on how to respond to the …

Suzhi At The Margins: Minority Politics And Identity Among The Mosuo, Graham Link

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This anthropological study explores the socio-political discourse of suzhi among the Mosuo minority, occupying the Yongning Basin region between Yunnan and Sichuan. The concept of suzhi, translating roughly as ‘quality’, first appeared during the 1980s in the context of ‘population quality’ (renkou suzhi), which refers variously to the educational attainment, material development, or more abstract moral quality of a people (see Jacka, 2009). In terms of ethnicity in China, numerous other studies have already shown how discourses like suzhi have been deployed to construct ‘Han modernity’ vis-a-vis its ‘Other’, the ‘primitive’ minority (see Zukosky, 2011, also Jacka, 2009; Gladney, 1994). …

Reconciliation As A Form Of Cultural Catharsis: The Role Of Theater In Revitalizing Kosovo-Serbian Relations, Sarah Edwards

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The current state of Kosovo-Serbian relations is one of frozen conflict; Serbia does not recognize Kosovo independence and relations between the two communities are relatively stagnant in spite of the ongoing EU mediated political dialogue in Brussels. Thus, this paper aims to re-imagine traditional processes of reconciliation and conflict transformation between the two entities by situating it within the cultural realm of society and viewing theater as a transformative practice. In doing this, I ask in what ways theater can effectively engage with and foster processes of reconciliation between Kosovo and Serbia, while specifically analyzing two joint productions between Prishtina …

Del Movimiento Estudiantil A Revolución Democrática: Esperanza Está En La Institución, Jensen Handwork

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Chilean State is currently in a political era defined as the Crisis de Legitimidad (Crisis of Legitimacy) in result of extreme socioeconomic inequality and widespread political disillusionment. In 2011, a social movement led by university students became the most important movement since the democratic transition began in 1990, succeeding in re-politicizing the population. The movement started as a demand that the State offer free higher education and end various injustices in the entire education system, however, in time the movement and became a statewide expression of the frustration felt against the neo-liberal state. Over 80% of the Chilean population …

Femm Committee As Feminalist Space: Gendered Legislative Styles In The European Parliament, Madison Oakley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper argues that the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality within the European Parliament is a micro-institution that promotes feminalist legislative styles regardless of the member’s gender. Interviews were conducted with two members of the committee, one male and one female to reach this conclusion. Feminalist legislative styles such as collaboration, lack of hierarchy, cooperation among parties, listening to constituents, and ‘power to’ motivations were employed by both interviewees. Furthermore, an understanding of the FEMM Committee as an institution within the European Parliament clarifies that it is a unique space whose political climate allows for feminalist legislative styles.

Hanoians’ Experience: Suspending Moral Bias To Recognize Human Dimensions Of War, Maggie Norsworthy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Talking about, and learning lessons from The American War in Vietnam can be a process whose genuine engagement requires a suspension—even if temporary—of moral and cultural biases that are embedded in the Western mindset. This research project is one that composes military strategy, government rhetoric, and very human accounts of war in Vietnam in order to understand how people in Hanoi experience and talk about war, with an ultimate aim of making some of these stories and lessons digestible to a Western audience.

My findings discuss some key components of the North Vietnamese mindset towards the American War in Vietnam: …

The Political Participation, Engagement, And Perceptions Of President Magufuli Among Students At The College Of African Wildlife Management, Carolyn Del Vecchio

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2015, John Pombe Magufuli won the Tanzanian presidential election, continuing on the 54-year reign of CCM, the political party founded by the country’s “father,” Julius Nyerere. Before the end of his political career, Nyerere had massive influence in selecting the future candidates of the CCM party that would take the presidential office. However, 2015 was the first election in which the CCM candidate was not selected, influenced, or supported by Nyerere. While CCM has been in power since independence, opposition parties have been steadily increasing in support. For this reason, the 2015 election was critical in determining whether Tanzanians …

Laughing It Off The Role Of Comedy And Humor In Combating Extremist Ideals In Jordan, Juan Nunez Ledesma

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research focuses on comedy in Jordan, and whether it plays a role in the larger fight against extremist ideals in the region. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how comedy is used in Jordan for a purpose other than merely making people laugh. Through this research, I study whether Jordanians believe that comedy has a role in combating extremism and if so, whether it is systematically employed for this specific purpose. The hypothesis of this study states that most Jordanians believe that comedy is a powerful weapon in the fight against extremism and as …

Isis & Eschatology: Apocalyptic Motivations Behind The Formation And Development Of The Islamic State, Matthew Henry Musselwhite

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The goal of this thesis was to analysis the Islamic State’s apocalyptic nature by studying both classic Islamic eschatology and the Islamic State’s online magazine Dabiq. In order to conduct this research, I separated my thesis into two separate angles of approach. The first angle (chapters one & two) exclusively looked at Islamic eschatology, classic apocalyptic texts, shifts in how literature was written over time, and on examples of modern messianic revolutions occurring. In this way, I attempted to emphasize how extra-Qur’anic texts have played a large part in providing details for what Islamic eschatology entails. I also looked at …

Economic Representation In Democracy, Tyler Nellis

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Alumnus Resolves Conflicts On The Ground

DePaul Magazine

Jason Ladnier (LAS ’95), director of the Office of Learning and Training of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations in the U.S. Department of State, oversees a team of 15 people as they set best practices for conflict prevention and stabilization and provide professional development for the Department of State civil servants and diplomats.

Chiloé Está Privado: Una Investigación Como Un Movimiento Social Genera Cambio En Un Sistema Centralizado, Nathan Madeira

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After the transition to democracy, Chileans have become increasingly frustrated with the centralization of the government. Local movements find it difficult to have a voice in the political process while the desires of the central government routinely trump the concerns of the people. Chiloé, an island in the south has experienced decades of Santiago-guided development. The salmon industry arrived in the 70s and now the government is building a bridge to connect the island with the mainland, without consulting the people. Many would prefer the money be spent on concerns more pressing to the people living their, like a hospital. …

Friends Of Musselman Library Newsletter Spring 2016, Musselman Library

Friends of Musselman Library Newsletter

From the Dean (Robin Wagner)

Library Receives 9/11 Commission Papers (Fred Fielding '16)

Library News

Digital Scholarship Fellows

From Paupers to Presidents

Fair Use Week

Reading About Race

Student Workers Save the Day (Nadia Romero Nardelli '19)

Life in the Fishbowl (Brittany Barry '17)

In Memory of Douglas R. Price; Former Aide to Eisenhower

Special Purchases

From the Piano Bench (Jay P. Brown ’51, Doug Brouder ’83, Julie Caterson ’84 and Mr. & Mrs. Michael Fiery)

Research Reflections: The Spirit of Gettysburg (Timothy Sestrick)

Gift of Art

Old Gettysburg Back to Thee (Jenna Fleming '16, Avery Fox '16, Melanie Fernandes …